Spring air-gun



(No Model.)

D. F. VAUGHAN.

SPRING AIB. GUN.

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NITE@ STATES PATENT ENCE.

DAVID F. VAUGHAN, OF HADDONFIELD, NEV JERSEY.

SPRING AIR-GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 440,381, dated November11, 1890.

Application filed March 4, 1890. Serial No. 342,625. (No model.)

, T all whom, t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, DAVID F. VAUGHAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Haddontield, in the county of Camden and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Arms,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure l isa perspective view of a portion of an ordinary breech-loader providedwith my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the supplemental barreldetached. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section through the same and agun-barrel in which it is contained. Fig. 4 is a section through theclamping and releasing jaws and adj uncts, the head of the piston-rodbeing clutched thereby. Fig. 5 is asimilar section, the jaws beingexpanded to release the piston-rod. Figs. 6 and 7 are sections ofmodifications hereinafter referred to.

The main object of this invention is to provide a gun-barrel in whichcompressed air shall be used as the projective force. It moreparticularly designed as a supplemental barrel for breech-loadingfire-arms, the construction being such that the projectile will beexpelled from the barrel upon the snapping of the trigger in the usualmanner.

The construction and operation of the invention will be hereinafterfully described,

Yand the particular matter considered new will be pointed out in theclaims.

Referring to the drawings, A, Fig. l, represents the barrels, B thefiring-pins, and C the trigger mechanism, of an ordinary doublebarrelbreech-loading gun.

Confined within one of the barrels A is my improved supplemental barrelD, which is of the following construction: d d are two tubes which arescrewed together or otherwise securely jointed at cc. The bore of thetube CZ is considerably smaller than that of the tube d, and its innerend is contracted or shouldered, as seen at y. If, as in this instance,the tube cl be of wood, its bore should be provided with a protectivemetal lining d2. This bore constitutes the projectile receiving chamberE, while the communicating bore of the tube d forms an air-chamber F.Screwed on the outer end of the tube d is a centrallyperforated cap d3,which is provided with an external surrounding flange. This flange, whenthe supplemental barrel is inserted within the gun-barrel, takes againstthe end of the latter, similarly with the flanged head of a cartridge,and likewise keeps the supplemental barrel in place.

Vithin the chamber F is contained a piston F which is faced with leatheror other suitable liexible material. The latter is designed to bearagainst the walls of the chamber, and thus prevent the escape of airaround the edge of the piston. Extending centrally from the piston is arod f', on whose free end is formed a heador catch f2. Near the outerend of the chamber Fis secured a ring f 3, from which outwardly projectstwo spring lingers or jaws f4. The outer ends of these jaws are normallyin contact and are flush or substantially ilush with the exterior faceof the cap cl3, through which they freely extend. The jaws f4 areprovided with opposite shoulders or offsets f5, which are so arranged asto receive and grasp the head or catch on the piston-rod when vthelatter is pushed between the jaws, and thus to hold the piston againstthe elastic action of a strong compressionspring G, which is interposedbetween the piston and the inner or connected ends of said jaws, asclearly shown.

The operation is as follows: Assume the piston to be retracted, as abovedescribed, and the gun-barrel to be locked in operative position. Agrain of shot Z, Fig. 3, about equal in diameter to that of the chamberEfis dropped into the muzzle of the latter. checked at the mouth of theair-chamber by means of the stop y. This shot constitutes the charge.The hammer is then retracted in the usual way, and upon being snapped itwill likewise strike the head of lthe firing-pin. The point of thelatter will thereupon forcibly strike between and spread open theopposed ends of the spring-jaws f4, and thus withdraw the shoulders f5from the head of the piston-rod, whereupon the compressed spring, beingreleased, will expand and forcibly drive the piston forward. This pistonwill compress the air between the same and the chamber E, and theprojective force ofl the condensed air will suddenly expel the It isvl'OO shot from said chamber. This action of the air upon the charge isthe same as in the well-known air-gun. To reset the mechanism for asucceeding action, the piston is pushed back by means of an ordinaryramrod until the head on the end of the pistonrod is grasped by thespring-jaws, as before, whereupon the rammer is withdrawn and a chargeinserted in the projectile-chamber. The tube d, toward its near or outerend, is provided with aseries of vent-holes h, through which the air inthe rear of the piston is expressed when the latter is retracted. TheeX- ternal diameter of this tube is somewhat less than the bore of themain barrel, so that an intermediate space will be formed for thereception ot' this expressed air. The plain periphery of the cap d3 titssnugly within the end of the bore, as seen. The supplemental barrel isremoved from th e gun-barrel in about the same way that a dischargedcartridge is extracted.

Instead of securing the clamping and releasing jaws to and within thechamber F and providing the piston-rod with a head adapted to beclutched by these jaws under the circumstances mentioned, I maysometimes reverse the order of the arrangement ot these elements, asillustrated in Fig. G-that is to say,tl1e jaws may be connected with thepistonrod and the head be secured near the end of the chamber in thepath of these jaws, so that when the piston is retracted the jaws willpass over and catch upon this fixed head. In this construction theeffect of the tiring-pin upon the jaws will be the same as in the formerarrangement.

By reference to Fig. 7 it will be noticed that the spring-jaws areprovided with perforations or notches in lieu of the springshoulders.When the piston-rod is retracted, the head thereon will enter theseperforations or notches and be locked thereby. As in the otherconstructions described, the spreading apart of the jaws will releasethe piston.

My invention provides a convenient means whereby a sportsman may beenabled to become accustomed to the handling of his gun withoutconsiderable expenditure for am munition. Being noiseless in its action,a gun equipped with my supplemental barrel will be particularly adaptedfor home target practice. In fact it may be used in lieu of the ordinaryair-gun in any case.

I claim- 1. The combination, with the barrel, the trigger mechanism, andthe firing-pin of a breech-loading gun, of a supplemental barrel adaptedto be confined within said gun-barrel, and comprising an air-chamber, aprojectile-chamber communicating therewith, a piston working withinsaidair-chamber, and a compression-spring adapted to impel saidpiston-forward, together with clamping and releasing jaws adaptednormally to lock the piston in retracted position, whereby the action ofthe firing-pin upon said jaws will open the same, and thus release thepiston, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the barrel, the trigger mechanism, and thefiring-pin of a breech-loading gun, of a supplemental barrel adapted tobe confined within said gun-barrel, and comprising an air-chamber, aprojectile-chamber communicating with said airchamber and of less borethan the latter, a shoulder or stop between said chambers, a pistonworking within the air-chamber, and a compression-spring adapted toimpel said piston toward the projectile chamber, together with clampingand releasing jaws adapted normally to lock the piston in retractedposition, whereby the action of the firing-pin upon said jaws will openthe same, and thus release the piston, substantially as described. 1

3. The herein-described supplemental barrel for guns, consisting in thecombination of an air-chamber, a projectile-chamber communicating withsaid air-chamber and of less bore than the latter, a piston workingwithin said air-chamber, the rod extending therefrom,provided with thehead or catch, the spring acting against said piston to expel the same,the spring-jaws secured within the airchamber, extending through anopening in the head thereof, and adapted normally to enl'gage said heador catch, and thus lock the piston in retracted position, substantiallyas described.

4. A supplemental gun-barrel comprising two detachable sections, in oneof which the air-chamber is formed and inthe other theprojectile-chamber, said air-chamber being of greater relative bore thanthe latter chamber and provided with the flanged centrallyperforatedscrew-cap, the piston adapted to work within vsaid air-chamber,thepistonrod, the compression-spring, and the clamping and releasingjaws, all combined, constructed, and adapted to operate substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto at-V ixed my signature this 17thday of February, A. D. 1890.

DANIEL F. VAUGHAN. Witnesses:

JOHN R. NoLAN, Guo. W. REED.

IOO

